When I go to some websites it asks me if I want to keep information from my visit in a ‘cookie’. I have heard that these things can invade people privacy. What should I do?

Cookies are a piece of information that the server asks your web browser to keep so that on return visits the cookie is sent back to the server and can remember, for example, your last visit, your name, etc… Cookies are useful because they can tell you, for example, what has happened during your absence, or if you type in your name in the site it can store your name and each time you visit the site it can refer to you by your own name. As for your privacy, cookies can’t actually say anything about the individual user, they simply remember information that you have already provided (so it is actually more convenient for you because, for example, some sites allow you to customise the look of them. With cookies the site can remember how you have customised it and use this each time you visit). If you are worried about your privacy, you can download a utility called ‘Cookie Cruncher’ from www.download.com which will allow you to select which cookies to keep or delete and will also allow you to view the contents of each cookie.